Monosodium glutamate is a condiment, which is used most frequently in Asian countries. We will add monosodium glutamate to soup or sauce to add flavor to dishes. MSG was invented in Japan. The first person who invented monosodium glutamate was Miao Ikeda, a researcher at Imperial University in Tokyo, Japan. He is a chemist and a professor at Imperial University in Tokyo. He invented monosodium glutamate because he drank cucumber soup made by his wife.
His wife added kelp to the exceptionally delicious cucumber soup, so he thought the secret of making the soup delicious was kelp. Sure enough, there is something called sodium glutamate in kelp, which can produce a delicious feeling. Later, he called this substance monosodium glutamate and applied for a patent to establish "flavor essence". In fact, monosodium glutamate not only contains sodium glutamate, but also contains salt, which effectively improves the umami taste of food.
How is the development of monosodium glutamate?
The first monosodium glutamate was discovered by German Hausen. He separated amino acids from gluten, which we call glutamic acid, and it also improved the flavor of food. However, the method of extracting sodium glutamate from gluten must be through acid hydrolysis. This method is very expensive, requires a lot of labor, and the cost of equipment is not cheap, so this production method will inevitably lead to a high price of monosodium glutamate, which is unaffordable for ordinary people.
With the passage of time, science has gradually advanced and biotechnology has also developed. The raw materials of food in China include corn starch, rice, wheat starch and sweet potato starch. The delicious and nutritious monosodium glutamate seasoning was obtained through microbial fermentation.